Fat gets a bad rap, but it’s an essential part of life. Bad things happen when bodies don’t have enough fat. If you think you’ve got too much of a good thing, there are healthy ways to lose belly fat. A life without fat is downright dangerous. Your body needs a certain percentage of fat to keep running on all cylinders.
Too little fat, and you’ll be dealing with nasty side effects like vitamin deficiencies, hormone issues, and even nervous system damage. So, having fat on your body is healthy. But what about extra fat around your belly? If you want to define your waist and strengthen your core, you’ll need more than straight sit-ups to make a measurable difference.
The timeline for belly fat loss is directly related to your overall weight loss. Your best bet is to leverage both nutrition and exercise to burn all your excess jiggle. As your overall body fat diminishes, your belly will too.
To feel firmer in five minutes, try this quick fix. For each exercise, do as many reps as you can in 30 to 60 seconds, switching sides when necessary halfway through. Then move onto the next exercise.
1. Thread the Needle:
How to:
- Get into a plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your body in a straight line between the top of your head and your heels.
- Keeping your hips squared to the ground, bring your right knee to your right elbow.
- Next, extend the right leg across your body and under your left leg.
- Bring the right knee back to the right elbow to complete one rep.
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2. Forearm Plank Swimmers:
How to:
- Get into a forearm plank with your shoulders stacked over your elbows and palms pressed against the ground.
- Extend your right arm straight out in front of you, then open it out to the side before returning to plank position.
- Repeat on the opposite side and continue to alternate sides.
Related article: 4 Fun Side Plank Variations For A Stronger Core
3. Leg Crossovers:
How to:
- Lie face-up on a mat with your palms pressed against the ground beneath your hips for support and legs extended.
- Keeping your lower back against the ground, lift both legs about a foot off the ground.
- Keeping the legs as straight as possible, cross the left ankle over the right one.
- Then reverse, crossing the right ankle over the left one.
Related article: Can You Get Abs By Doing Yoga? Definitely Especially If You Want Tighter Stronger Abs
4. Side Plank With Twist:
How to:
- Get into a side plank position on a mat with your left forearm on the floor, left fingertips facing the right side of your mat.
- Your shoulders, hips, and feet should be stacked, but you can stagger your feet to make this move easier.
- Without dropping your hips, use your right arm to reach underneath the body.
- Next, open the chest and reach your right arm straight up overhead.
- That’s one rep.
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5. Russian Twists:
How to:
- Grab a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell in both hands and hold it at chest level.
- Sit on your butt with bent knees and crossed ankles. Lean back slightly to lift both feet off the ground.
- Keeping your shoulders away from your ears, twist from the waist to turn your upper body to the left.
- Repeat on the opposite side and continue to alternate without dropping your feet.